At the front right-hand side of the storehouse is a stairwell that leads to the helipad located on the roof. Originally conceived to help with deliveries, this idea was quickly abandoned when it was found that the tumultuous weather around the island meant there would be continual delays. Instead, the helicopter was converted for use in case of a medical emergency necessitating a trip to the mainland. Now, though, the helicopter has been blown sideways and is delicately balanced half on the helipad and half off of it, perpetually appearing to be a strong breeze away from falling off the roof.

"Big ideas huh. Well, in the past tense I had some. They only got me this shit, so..." Ben glanced back with a pivot and twist of his shitty posture, long enough to jab a finger at his wound. Deceptively clean and crisp linen hid the mess underneath still churning and broiling away the dregs of his life force.

"I don't have much else in the tank. I'm just here to help." It was his place. All that was left of his manliness was a thin strip of muscle, sweat and toil. The thoughts, words, had all eroded away.

Ben didn't know how much time had passed, needed himself a functioning brain to parse the continued tick-by-tick of the sun shearing the skin cells of whatever was left on that island.

He was seated with his stubby legs from the knee-down dangling over the edge of the helipad. Real quiet. He was pretty much alone with all of the thoughts he didn't have. He'd glanced back a few times. Two girls posed like that. Hm. Maybe kind of awkward, kind of attractive. Ben figured he didn't care either way.

This time when he glanced back Penelope was breathing a bit labored, suddenly. Sick? Would have been a disaster if she'd caught something. Ben raised an eyebrow, trying to catch Raina's eye. Gesture at Penelope. Not his job to be the one to say something. His body, mind, weren't useful for comfort.

Raina spaced out a bit, let her mind wander. She didn't nod off, much as she wanted to. Penelope managed, at least. Ben didn't have anything to add and neither did Raina, for the time being.

Their moments of peace didn't last, though. Penelope started with a gasp, before very deliberately going still. Bad dream? Raina hoped that was all it was. Nightmares sucked but Penelope coming down with something would be worse. She caught Ben's eye and nodded, giving Penelope's shoulder a squeeze.

"Hey, how you doing?"

"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."

"Uh, well..." She said, before sitting up and rubbing her eyes. "I guess I dozed off for a bit there... I'm okay, don't worry."

She looked down at the ground, noticing that her skirt was slightly messed up and brushing it back down into position. She turned her head back towards Raina, before speaking. "R-really, I'm fine. H-honest."

She slowly fell into her friend, wrapping her arms around her once again. "Just a bad dream, is all..."

Her eyes once again drifted to the ground, unable to hold a solid gaze. She didn't want to acknowledge the deeper feelings that she had been repressing, only brought to the forefront by the dream. She needed to stay calm, for everyone. She was supposed to be the leader, even if she wasn't all that capable at it. She had to remain strong, and focused.

17:32 Mimi: Everyone has their place in society. His is with tractors.

19:26 Harbinger: Manhunt is like victorian porn
19:26 Monad: Isn't that bad like, quality? Or isn't as bad as they say in terms of nastiness?
19:26 Kilmarnock: Aside from Piggsy's shadowy schlong.

22:45 SpiralAgnew I'M TALKING ABOUT HOW AWESOME IT IS TO WORK AT NINTENDO
22:45 Medic SPIRAL
22:45 Courtney Hey Medic
22:45 SpiralAgnew IN FRONT OF MK
22:46 Outfoxd ..Wait, do we punch Spiral in the dick now?
22:46 Outfoxd FUCK YOUR DREAMS
22:46 Outfoxd OoO
22:47 TurtleTyrant we are punching him in the dick?
22:47 Courtney That'll be the most attention his dick has gotten...ever.

"Yeah, we're fine," Raina said, catching the hint that Penelope didn't really want to discuss whatever had gone through her unconscious mind. She stretched, all ready to suggest that they pack up and go grab Johnny from wherever he'd settled in near the warehouse, when Ben spoke up again. About his sister.

Raina didn't finch, not quite. Not on the outside. She hadn't thought about her family in a while. Someone would have told Cameron that she was missing by now. He'd probably be on his way home, or already there. His finals would have just ended. Leila had thrown some hissy fit that morning, something about Raina taking too long in the bathroom getting ready and how she needed to do her makeup, like a thirteen year old needed to even wear that much makeup.

She wondered how her parents were holding up. Work wouldn't have come to a stop just because some doctors' kid had gone missing. People were still getting sick and hurt in the real world, just like in their little fantasy bubble of violence here.

"...You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, though." She said, quietly. At both of them. She didn't want to talk about her family, or the things that went through her head when the doubt bubbled up.

"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."

"Y-yeah..." Penelope said, her voice slightly shaken. "I'd... rather not talk about it."

Penelope shook her head, as a symbolic attempt at shaking off her worry. "Really, I'm fine." She pressed her head against Raina, nuzzling her slightly. "Honest."

She stayed briefly quiet, considering what she wanted to say before she spoke. "I guess..." She began, her voice calmer and slightly more alert. "Since I got some time to rest, we could go get Johnny, right?" She tightened her hug around her friend, not quite wanting yet to let go. Being in close proximity to Raina was too comforting for her to really want to stop, even if the two of them would remain together afterwards. She nuzzled her head against Raina again before continuing, her voice quiet. "If you want to wait a little longer though, I wouldn't mind."

17:32 Mimi: Everyone has their place in society. His is with tractors.

19:26 Harbinger: Manhunt is like victorian porn
19:26 Monad: Isn't that bad like, quality? Or isn't as bad as they say in terms of nastiness?
19:26 Kilmarnock: Aside from Piggsy's shadowy schlong.

22:45 SpiralAgnew I'M TALKING ABOUT HOW AWESOME IT IS TO WORK AT NINTENDO
22:45 Medic SPIRAL
22:45 Courtney Hey Medic
22:45 SpiralAgnew IN FRONT OF MK
22:46 Outfoxd ..Wait, do we punch Spiral in the dick now?
22:46 Outfoxd FUCK YOUR DREAMS
22:46 Outfoxd OoO
22:47 TurtleTyrant we are punching him in the dick?
22:47 Courtney That'll be the most attention his dick has gotten...ever.

"Yeah, yeah, we should go get Johnny eventually. Who knows where he'll wander off to."

Ben was starting with the awkward thousand-yard stare again, so it might benefit them to get moving even if they didn't rush back to the warehouse. "Can't believe I'm saying this, but some exercise out in the fresh air sounds pretty good right now." Raina grinned a little, nose wrinkling slightly in mock disgust.

"Do you feel well enough to get up and walk around?"

"Art enriches the community, Steve, no less than a pulsing fire hose, or a fireman beating down a blazing door. So what if we're drawing a nude man? So what if all we ever draw is a nude man, or the same nude man over and over in all sorts of provocative positions? Context, not content! Process, not subject! Don't be so gauche, Steve, it's beneath you."

"Yeah, I think so, " Penelope began, her voice still quiet. "We might want to rest a little more when we get there but... otherwise I'm okay."

Walking around would probably do her some good after that relatively traumatic nightmare. Taking her mind away from the monsters from the id that were slowly gnawing away at her psyche could only be a good thing.

She stood herself up off of Raina, taking a moment to dust her skirt off before helping her sleep deprived friend to her feet. She looked at Ben after scooping up her bag, before giving him a warm, knowing smile and patting him on the shoulder.

"Let's go!" She chirped, before moving over to the stairwell leading down to the ground, doing her best to ignore the nearby charred body. She turned to face her friends, waiting for them to grab their belongings and join her while keeping a smile plastered on her face. She was doing her best to and keep spirits as high as they could realistically be kept in a situation like this, but she wasn't sure if her true feelings were shining through her positive facade.

Once they were all ready, Penelope began carefully stepping down the aged stairs. It was time to move on and accomplish as much as they could with the remaining daylight, in spite of the id that wants her to give up in her quest.

17:32 Mimi: Everyone has their place in society. His is with tractors.

19:26 Harbinger: Manhunt is like victorian porn
19:26 Monad: Isn't that bad like, quality? Or isn't as bad as they say in terms of nastiness?
19:26 Kilmarnock: Aside from Piggsy's shadowy schlong.

22:45 SpiralAgnew I'M TALKING ABOUT HOW AWESOME IT IS TO WORK AT NINTENDO
22:45 Medic SPIRAL
22:45 Courtney Hey Medic
22:45 SpiralAgnew IN FRONT OF MK
22:46 Outfoxd ..Wait, do we punch Spiral in the dick now?
22:46 Outfoxd FUCK YOUR DREAMS
22:46 Outfoxd OoO
22:47 TurtleTyrant we are punching him in the dick?
22:47 Courtney That'll be the most attention his dick has gotten...ever.

Penelope still didn't sound quite right even when her voice slid back to it's soda fizz cheer, but what the fuck did Ben know, so on. He was a bit surprised his arm didn't fall the fuck off when Penelope deigned to remind Ben his mortality was still vaguely relevant.

He grabbed his supplies. They weighed about the same, lighter than days before but also sitting on muscles weaker than days before. As he slid the strap of the bag onto his shoulder and watched Penelope smile their way he glanced at Raina briefly, desiccated neurons firing before he could remember the ashes and dust clogging up his mouth.